


you make me strong

by otherhippo (hippopotamus)



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 06:22:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17976116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippopotamus/pseuds/otherhippo
Summary: Lucas wakes up to Eliott pressed close to his back, one arm slung around him.This never used to happen, but Lucas doesn’t exactly mind it as much as he should.





	you make me strong

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [you make me strong](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18617302) by [so_hello](https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_hello/pseuds/so_hello)



> i uhhhhhhhh im sorry  
> title from one direction -- strong  
> woo  
> enjoy!

Eliott has become so much more tactile recently. 

It’s possible that Lucas should say he hates it, because, well, isn’t it kind of gay? The way that Eliott cuddles so close when they share a bed now, or that he so easily puts an arm around Lucas’s shoulders, or when they watch a movie, and he practically buries his face in Lucas’s neck?

It’s just kind of strange, because they’ve been friends for so long, now - nearly ten years, in fact. Ever since Eliott moved in next door, nine years old and full of infectious energy - Lucas remembers being a shy kid before he met Eliott. They’ve been inseparable ever since, stayed over at each other’s houses a lot because Eliott’s parents work so much, and Lucas’s parents sometimes just don’t seem to care.

They don’t live next door to one another any more. Don’t have any excuse to need to stay at each other’s houses either, but it’s tradition now. Eliott lives alone, half the time spends the nights with his girlfriend, but he still makes time for Lucas.

He says he’ll always make time for Lucas, when Lucas asks about it. When he says “why don’t you just ask Lucille to move in with you?” he gets the answer “because we wouldn’t be able to have bro nights.”

“Stop fucking calling them bro nights,” Lucas rolls his eyes.

Eliott gives a teasing smile. “You started it.”

It takes all of Lucas’s self control not to punch him. And then he does anyway (softly, only on his arm, but still. He deserves it.)

Eliott punches back, and soon enough they’re in the familiar situation of shoving each other back and forth, until one of them eventually relents (It’s always Eliott. He’s a wimp.)

But he pulls away laughing, and Lucas is grinning too, and it’s so comfortable like this, in these moments, that it just fills his chest up with something that feels kind of like home. 

He’s never really felt like that before, but Eliott is probably the closest thing.

A second later, Eliott finishes the fight altogether, by wrapping his arms tight around Lucas. He freezes for a second, knowing that any normal person’s response to this should be something along the lines of  _ this is fucking gay _ , but Lucas just lets himself relax into it, leans into Eliott with a tired exhale.

“Seriously, though,” Lucas says. “Why don’t you want Lucille to move in? Even I can tell she’s waiting for you to ask.”

Eliott’s arms tense up around him. “Just don’t want to. Is that allowed?”

“Well, yeah, but -”

Eliott sighs loudly. “I don’t want to talk about it. Can we just watch the movie?”

Lucas gives in, and nods. 

They don’t discuss it for the rest of the night. They watch one movie, then another, and eat pizza, same as always. It gets late, and Eliott can’t be bothered to get the sofa bed out, not like Lucas would expect any different.

“As long as you’ve changed your sheets since you and Lucille slept in your bed.”

Eliott doesn’t even need to answer.

The next morning, Lucas wakes up to Eliott pressed close to his back, one arm slung around him.

This never used to happen, but Lucas doesn’t exactly mind it as much as he should.

*

The next time he sees Eliott, things have shifted again. Lucille is no longer in the picture, and when Lucas tries to comfort him, he grins widely and brushes him off.

“I’m fine. Things were shit for a while with us.”

“You never said anything,” Lucas protests, but maybe he did kind of see it coming. 

Eliott just shrugs it off. “It’s not a big deal.”

He’s acting weird. On one hand - it’s Eliott, when  _ isn’t _ he acting weird - but on the other - Lucas is his best friend. They’re meant to tell each other this shit. 

(Like the  _ hey, I think I might be gay _ shit that Lucas hasn’t mentioned a word of. So, okay. Fine.)

“Okay, well,” Lucas struggles for something to say. “Uh - bro night?”

*

It happens again the next morning, that he wakes up closer than ever to Eliott. 

Maybe Lucas should at this point call Eliott out for never being bothered to put the sofa bed up for him. Or maybe he should say something about the gay shit, because maybe Eliott would think he’s been tricking him, somehow. 

Eliott isn’t awake yet. It’s just Lucas, with Eliott’s arms around him, face buried into Lucas’s shoulder. 

Lucas takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes again, willing his thoughts to leave him alone so that he can just enjoy this for a while.

*

It happens twice more before Lucas says something.

“Maybe I should put the sofa bed up tonight,” he says quietly. It’s not fair on Eliott how much his heart jumps at the thought of waking up in his arms. It’d be fucking weird, at this point, if it happened again. Too much for Lucas, and just plain awkward, if Eliott was ever to find out.

“Why?” 

“I, uh,” Lucas clears his throat. “I don’t know, I just -” He finishes his sentence by shrugging.

“Great answer,” Eliott grins, but then flops back down next to where Lucas is still sitting on the sofa. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“Have I ever told you how shit of a liar you are?”

“Fuck you.”

Eliott just flicks his eyebrows up in response, and it makes Lucas feel… something.

“Don’t you think it’s awkward that you’re like - an adult, and you still share a bed with me as if we’re still kids?”

“No, do you?” The answer comes so fast that Lucas doesn’t know what to do with it.

“Oh,” is all he says. “I mean, I - I just -”

“We don’t have to,” Eliott says, smiling kindly. “We can get the sofa bed out.”

Lucas hesitates, and Eliott notices. He always fucking notices. 

“There’s something else?”

“I just think it’d be awkward for you,” Lucas says. “If you found out I’m - I might be - I don’t know,” he huffs, and leans back, shutting his eyes to avoid looking at Eliott. “I might be gay,” he whispers.

He doesn’t open his eyes, so it’s a bit of a surprise when Eliott’s arms wrap tight around him - same as always, he just wasn’t expecting it this time.

“It’s not awkward,” Eliott says simply, burying his face in Lucas’s neck. “I feel like you never take it seriously when I tell you I find boys attractive too.”

Lucas freezes, eyes flying open. “What?”

“Yeah, thought so,” Eliott says, half frustrated, and half laughing. “Seriously. I feel like you didn’t listen to my commentary throughout watching Captain America.”

Honestly? Lucas tunes his commentary out most, if not all, of the time.

“You’re a dick,” mutters Eliott. 

Lucas finally relaxes enough to laugh. “You talk so much, if I listened I’d miss the movie. And I was busy watching Captain America too.” He’s not sure where the bravery comes from, but he doesn’t feel uncomfortable admitting it, not now Eliott has, too.

“Okay, that’s fair.”

They stay where they are in silence for a moment, Lucas bringing his arms up to return the hug finally.

“Still want to get the sofa bed out?”

“No, it’s okay.”

*

He still wakes up to Eliott’s arms around him. For a while, he pretends to still be asleep, as he does every morning like this, but Eliott is awake this time, and something gives him away.

“I can tell you’re awake,” he says in that soft morning voice, the one that always does things to Lucas that he tries to deny.

Lucas shifts a little, turns his head so that he can look at Eliott, whose stare is burning into him.

Eliott bites his lip, looks down before speaking. “At the risk of ruining our friendship -” he starts.

Lucas’s heart thumps loud in his chest.

“I like waking up like this,” Eliott says, and the quiet confession is full of something more, something terrifying that Lucas wants to leap into.

Lucas shifts more, so that he’s facing Eliott properly, and he moves in a little closer.

“I like it, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! comments and kudos and all that jazz are always very much appreciated!!!!  
> find me on [tumblr!](http://evenshands.tumblr.com)  
> love always xxx


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